


Seeking new champions

by Lust_Demon



Category: Warcraft - All Media Types, World of Warcraft
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fix-It
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-02-22 23:28:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23535415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lust_Demon/pseuds/Lust_Demon
Summary: The events of Battle for Azeroth come completely unhinged as Anduin meets with Talanji before the Horde champion has a chance to. The Loa and the Light might be able to work together, as long as the demented in Drustvar don't get a hold of the last of the Proudmore line.
Comments: 31
Kudos: 37





	1. Chapter 1

Anduin was not a happy King. His boots, although thickly covered in metal, still were eerily quiet as he made his way into the stockades.

"Open the doors."

  
"S-Sire!"

  
"I will not repeat myself." An icy coldness that sank into the stones.

  
"My King, are you sure..?" An older voice, another cold one. The cold of ageless anger. 

  
"I will not see people unjustly held. Open the doors."

  
"They are trolls." 

  
"They are not Horde." 

  
A young King entered the room, looking too young for the armor he wore. If it were her people he would have been outfitted with leathers for ease of movement. She sat primly with her hands in her lap, lifting her chin when he unlocked the doors. He was holding keys that she suspected would match the cuffs on her and Zul's wrists that bound their magic. 

  
"No words of apology can be enough to express myself. I am sorry you were taken when you came in sight of our ships. I... Would like to know why you came here, however."

Talanji spared a glance at the smart mouthed Zul, expecting something from him but he was silent. Shifting her gaze to her captors, she looked from the young King to the woman in white at his side. There was darkness in her eyes and a gauntness to her cheekbones that told her more than she might expect. An anchor pendant hung from her neck and even now she toyed with it. 

"You be Kul Tiran?" 

  
"I... Was." There was a quiet brokenness in the words that Talanji felt for. An exile, either forced or self imposed. "We are not here for me."

  
"No. We are here because the Loa will it." Talanji spoke the common language with a sharp precision. 

  
"Did the Loa send you to attack...? You had but one ship." The young King questioned. 

  
"I did not ask. The Loa. Sent. Us." She enunciated her words, the beginning of anger tinting her tone.

The young King looked confused a moment and took a step towards her with the keys. Holding them out from himself in the palm of his hands, he looked at her with eyes such a soft blue she could only think of the river that ran along the bottom of the pyramid she called home. Gentle waters that nurtured the flowers called sea stalks. Seeing the white haired Kul Tiran taking a protective stance, she wondered if she saw that in him too. 

“I cannot keep you here, it would not be right.” The King started quietly. 

“Not right to take us in the first place.” Zul finally spoke up, his eyes dark as he curled his lip, staring at the King. 

“No. But my people are on edge because of recent happenings with the Horde.”

One of the guards spit on the floor in contempt and she saw the King frown. He continued forward and began to reach for her, and as he took steps to her she felt the shivers of power begin to roll up her spine. Sitting up straighter, her eyes widened and sounds became muffled so she could see his lips moving but the words were lost. 

_ “My child. You walk in unknown lands.”  _ Warm hands came to rest on her wrists and she inhaled sharply as her senses became sharper as this human King implored her for something.  _ “Change comes in unexpected ways and you must open your mind.” _

“Rezan..” Talanji breathed his name, shivering with wonder. 

“I know you must want a reason.” Anduin unlocked the shackles on her wrists and cupped the chaffed area with Light infused fingers so he could heal it. “The Horde and Alliance have been at war for too long, and most recently there has been… further atrocities. Their warchief uplifts her ranks with the dead from both sides. She is too strong for us to take alone and we cannot fight with you as well.”

“Anduin.” The Kul Tiran hissed. 

“Jaina, please. I cannot ask for help and not tell them the whole truth.”

“You want our help, boy prince?” Zul started to laugh. 

“I need your help.” He wasn't bothering to correct Zul but Talanji felt his fingers tense against her wrists. 

“Young but not a boy. And not a prince. You are a King.” Talanji felt her brow begin to furrow. A King who touched her and helped her hear her Loa as easily as if she was at home in her temple. “I will listen.”

Zul at her side looked angered by her words and she knew why. Their people had met on the waters with Kul Tiran humans before and it had to irk him that she would consider this. Holding out her hand, she lightly rested her fingers on his arm to keep him from snapping. The white haired woman didn't look any happier at the prospect but she was staying silent. 

“If it pleases you, we can go outside to have this conversation. Away from prying ears and cold stone.” Anduin bowed to her, low enough that she wondered if it was too low for one ruler to another. 

Glancing at the woman briefly, Talanji lowered her head slightly in what the human King could interpret as her own bow of acknowledgement. In actuality she was trying to hide the smile that crept up on her when she saw how anxious the human woman was. 

“Princess, you are certain?” Zul growled as his own cuffs were unlocked and the guards started to move out of the way in a line on either side of the hall 

“I will speak with this King. As one ruler to another. And we will be out of this cold cell.” Her tone was imperious and from the corner of her eye she could see the young King stand up straighter.

Anduin paused briefly as he considered what would be considered the best etiquette. If he wanted her help then he would have to treat her only as an equal and deal with the consequences of what others in the Alliance thought later. Resting a hand on his chest, he bowed to her and then offered his hand to her with his palm facing upwards. She looked at his hand a moment but rather than scorn the offer, she placed her hand on top of his with barely any force behind it.

“Forgive me if this seems odd, or perhaps impertinent, but among my people it would only be right that I rectify the wrongs we have done you. And escort you personally to a place of your choosing for our conversation.” Anduin gently began to lead her out of the cell, letting Jaina take up position with Zul behind them.

“I’ve heard rumors that humans are very reserved about touch. Is this why only our hands may touch?” Her lips curved in a smile, the small tusks that jutted up from her lips making it seem wider and oddly warmer.

“I.. I don't think I've ever really thought about it.” He admitted with a boyish smile. “It's just something my protocol teachers always taught me was proper. 

Curious if it was the same with the Kul Tiran, she glanced behind them where the white haired woman was walking beside Zul. Neither looked very comfortable but the woman had her hand up in the same position that the young King had. Zul, or course, endeavored to make things as uncomfortable as possible and rather than resting his hand on top of the womans he had chosen to curl his fingers around hers to hold hands. There was silent fury in the white haired woman's eyes but she was holding her tongue. 

“Zul.” Talanji started in a warning tone. 

“I'm just being friendly.” He looked at her innocently. 

Letting her gaze shift over to the woman, she saw that the Kul Tiran was a bit stiff but accepting of the touch. 

“If my King wishes for us to be… friendly, I have no qualms with this.” 

“Thank you, Jaina.” The young King had such hope emanating from him that Talanji could practically feel the warmth of it against her skin. “I won’t pretend that something like this would be easy for any of us, but if we could just work together, we could have a peace that lasts more than a few months.”

There was an understated bitterness to the last of his words and Talanji noted the age in the young boy’s eyes. How old was he, and for how many years of his life had he witnessed fighting or had to deal with the deaths of others? It was simply a way of the world to her and her people, she had never known a time when the Kul Tiran and Zandalari didn’t fight. But the troll people at least were able to keep from fighting too much. Or at least now they were. 

Following the cobblestone streets, she got her first really good look at the architecture of the city. Compared to her own she had to say that she wasn’t a fan. There was a faint smell that lingered and there were flower boxes built just outside the windows of the houses but even that didn’t help too much. The houses all looked the same too, with no real colors to them that marked them as being different, so how could they tell which one belonged to which person? The boy King led her down some steps to a garden that looked like it had been plucked and primed for flowers that were made to be appealing to the eye. She wasn’t familiar enough with the flowers here to know if there was actually a use for them, but she hoped that there was. Why have this much space for growing things if they weren’t going to be pretty as well as useful?

Anduin brought them to a small semi circle of benches and sat himself on one, his hand still holding Talanji’s as he looked up at her pleadingly. It was the same boyish look that she saw on some of the foundlings that ran around the city, and the same as the foundlings it ended up calling out to her heart. Even if Rezan hadn’t spoken to her in his quiet authoritative way, she would find herself pulled to those bright blue eyes imploring her. She swept her skirts to the side as she sat beside him, keeping half an eye on the Kul Tiran and Zul. As expected when the woman sat down, Zul made himself comfortable close to her. Jaina looked vaguely annoyed but wasn’t trying to speak up against it, she simply started to lightly tug her hand away from Zul’s.

“Not gonna play friendly no more, fendi?” Zul practically crooned. “I thought you liked my touch.”

“You’re a little too old for me.” Jaina graced him with a deadpan expression and a sweet tone.

Zul put a hand to his chest in mock surprise and Talanji resisted the urge to roll her eyes at his antics. It was just something that he did when he was trying his best to put himself in a position of power in a meeting. Flirt with someone, perhaps annoy them to get a laugh out of someone else. Talanji wasn’t laughing, and she noted that the King wasn’t either. If anything, Anduin looked slightly concerned and was watching Jaina like he expected her to do something drastic. There wasn’t so much as a tremble of anger from the woman, her face like a sheet of ice that couldn’t be damaged. Beautiful and deadly. 

“Zul, I’m sure you have enough devotees back home that you don’t need to inspire another woman to your side.” Talanji relaxed back against the bench like the meeting was as casual as her words suggested. “But, we are not here to make bedfriends… are we?”

She looked at Anduin questioningly and saw that his cheeks had start to light with a faint redness.

“That. Isn’t a necessity.” Anduin kept his eyes on hers despite his embarrassment. “But if we could discuss the Loa, and how they sent you here?”

“Which of them sent you?” Jaina added, her voice quiet and her eyes inviting.

How much did the Kul Tiran woman know about the Loa? If she happened to name one of the more obscure ones that the smaller tribes worshiped, would she actually know about them? It wouldn’t benefit them to lie in a way like that so Talanji took a breath as she smoothed her skirts down. 

“It was Rezan who spoke to me across the sea. It was he who spoke to me in the cells.” She answered quietly, looking between the two humans.

The young King looked a bit lost, more childlike than before and that brought a tiny smile to her lips. The woman, however, looked intrigued. 

“The King of Kings.” 

Talanji felt her heart skip a beat before she steeled herself once more. Knowing one Loa and what he entailed didn’t mean much against so many years of fighting. Perhaps the woman had picked it up from a warcry as someone came at her. Or maybe she had read it from a small altar in a home that she raided. There were countless ways that she could have come by the knowledge and Talanji wasn’t about to soften herself just because one nugget of wisdom was held by a human.

“If it was this Rezan who spoke to you, that sent you here, did he tell you why?” The young King looked a touch worried.

“Because it is needed.” Talanji let her attention pull away from Zul and the white haired woman, able to feel the tension rising from the two of them even as she started to explain things. “The Loa are able to see much of what is happening. My people will not enjoy an alliance, and I suspect yours would not either. However, a stronger force is needed for something that is coming.”

“Then what is coming?” The Kul Tiran asked softly, her fingers curling tight around her staff.

“Darkness. All I can see is darkness.” Talanji murmured as she clenched her fists in her lap. “I am not new to visions from the Loa, but always before there has been something they could show. For it to be darkness, I cannot help but think that what is coming towards us will seek the end of life as we know it.”

“And your.. Associate?” the King gestured towards Zul, the worry never leaving his eyes.

For a moment it didn’t look like Zul was going to speak. He let out a heavy sigh and finally moved an inch or so on the bench so he wasn’t squeezing close to the Kul Tiran woman. A hand came up and he rubbed just under one tusk, close to his mouth. 

“I see.. The same.” He grumbled. “I am one who seeks the future more often than my princess, and when I do, it is Darkness I see, but I also smell the sea. Which is -why- I did not wish to cross the water to come here.”

“Jaina..?” The King was sitting up straighter, looking to the woman, prompting the others to as well.

Jaina had her hands pressed together, her eyes distant as she looked down at them, and how the anchor around her neck dangled in front of her gaze as she did so. “Is it possible that what you’re expecting is not something in the water? But instead the Kul Tiran’s?”

“Possible.” Zul leaned a hand on one knee as he glared at her. “But you know that, ya?”

“Jaina?” 

“If… it is the Kul Tiran people, I’m not certain much could be done to stop them. Not necessarily because we lack manpower, but because they are stubborn and prideful. I know that when I was a child there was fighting between our people, I can only imagine that it’s continued to this day, correct?”

She looked first to Talanji, then to Zul, her blue eyes tired and sad. Talanji nodded hesitantly while Zul made a grunt of agreement and let his glare shift to the anchor around her neck. The sea born woman sighed and put her face in her hands, drawing in a deep breath. 

“The Kul Tiran people cut themselves off from the Alliance after what happened.. What happened in Theramore.” Jaina could see that the two Zandalari were confused and clenched her jaw faintly. “Admiral Daelin Proudmore fought against the Horde there, an unnecessary fight. He wanted help and none was given. When word reached back to Kul Tiras, what remained of the Proudmore family cut all ties with the Alliance. There have been small pockets of the fleets here but they are not kindly to Alliance or Horde.”

“If it is Kul Tiras, we can send a messenger to them, asking what they seek to accomplish in the future. Carefully worded, perhaps we could avoid more fighting.” Anduin murmured.

“A messenger? All the way across the sea?” Zul snorted out a laugh.

“An ambassador.” Jaina sat up straighter, an icy look in her eyes now. “Messengers are often ignored, or sometimes shot. Send an ambassador and that chance is lessened.”

She started to stand up, brushing off her skirts and then gently tucking away the anchor behind the laces of her top. 

“Jaina--”

“Craft your message, my King. I will wait for it. If you’ll pardon me, I’ll be in the harbor.”

Talanji looked between the two humans, trying to fathom just what was going unsaid between them. The woman looked tired and a bit angry, but resolute while the King looked worried. It took a few moments but the King bowed his head, quietly dismissing her before placing his hands on his knees. Whatever was going on was more than just the troubles with the Horde that the King originally mentioned and she made a mental note to get Zul to dig into it for her. Troublesome he was, but he could ferret out information like no one could.

“Do you believe if you send a message it will even be answered?” Talanji asked quietly.

“All avenues of peace have to be sought before demands can be sent.” The King looked to her, knowing that as a ruler herself she would easily understand his words.

“Then I suggest the softest words for your questions. If these Kul Tirans are not fond of your Alliance, it would be better not to have more borders of enemies.”

“I’ll figure out a way to ask them, don’t worry.” The King actually gave her a small smile, a hint of hope starting to creep into his eyes now. “We’ll do what we can to stop the Kul Tirans from attacking your people.”

“And in return?” Zul snapped out the words.

“Zul.” Talanji barely raised her voice but when he looked at her, she let her displeased expression speak for her.

“It’s a fair question.” the King spoke quietly. “But.. perhaps we could just start with a truce? Neutrality on both sides? Baby steps."

There was a wistful expression on his young face and he leaned back to give her more room. 

"I wouldn't ask for an answer right away, of course, I assume you have a council the same as I do that you have to speak with."

“So how would we proceed from here?” Zul asked in a cool tone. “You just let us go on our merry way?”

“Well… yes.” The King raised a brow and then his expression slowly shifted to something more serious. “We can either send you and Jaina in two separate ships or send you in one. Sending you home first and then she can continue to Kul Tiras, or she can go to Kul Tiras and then return to the boat once she has an answer and continue with you to Zandalar where she can wait for an answer from you whether yes or no.” 

“Us waiting in the harbor sounds a bit like dropping scraps for the raptors.” Zul grumbled.

“Then we’ll have you return to Zandalar first and… how much time would it take to go from Zandalar to Kul Tiras and back again?” There was a faint flush on his cheeks, not used to sailing.

“Depending on the boat and the crew? Take a full day to go round trip.” Talanji answered.

“And it shouldn’t take long for Jaina to receive some sort of an answer. So, taking into consideration any trouble with the weather or a breakdown in talks, let us say three days for her to return to your own port.”

Talanji had to smile a tiny bit. The King might be young but at least he knew to set some sort of a pace, that way if something went wrong, he would know by a certain date when to send others out for answers. Nodding faintly, she glanced over at Zul, who was appraising the young King now with the same eye he’d once given her when she was first learning to commune with the Loa.

“You’ve done thinking about this.” Zul narrowed his eyes faintly.

“Not as much as I’d like. I have to be able to think quickly recently.” The King shrugged a shoulder. “I feel I should warn you about Sylvanas.” 

“Just Sylvanas? Not the whole of the Horde?” Talanji raised a brow at his choice in words.

“Honestly, yes. I’ve met members of the Horde, I used to be able to speak with one of their current leaders. ...I had the chance to speak to their former warchiefs as well. When I was a child, the leader was an orc named Thrall.”

Talanji found herself leaning in slightly as he started to explain his side of things. As with any sort of story about war, it would have to be taken with a grain of salt. But she had Zul here to listen with a more cynical ear and later they would have the chance to speak to Jaina as well. Every piece of information would be weighed carefully before she took the question to her father and gave her own recommendation.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little bit more focus on Zul as he and Jaina spend some time just before they board the boat to travel home.

The docks were full of the fresh salt air that she was used to and Jaina took in a deep breath of it, willing the sensation of a noose around her throat to go away. She had made a brief stop at the mage tower to grab supplies for herself, among them some paper and ink and she laid them on a crate, angling herself so no one walking by could try to peer at what she was doing. She didn't know how long it would take for Anduin to finish so she needed to get these out of the way as quickly as possible. 

_ Priestess Tyrande,  _

_ I wanted to write this before now but words failed to encompass my sorrow and regret. I wanted to tell you that I am truly sorry I was not there to aid you when you needed help. I didn't learn about what happened to Teldrassil until it was too late. I am being sent by our King on a diplomatic mission in an effort to ensure no future fighting breaks out between us and a new source of potential hurt.  _

_ You will hear from Anduin soon enough what this entails and I will leave it to him to explain, but please know that despite my initial misgivings I do stand behind his decision and I hope you will as well.  _

_ In times like these it's important to stand together, so please know that Theramore and her people are open to you always. We will give whatever help we can, just let us know what your people need and we will do our best to supply it.  _

_ My heart is with you and your people.  _

_ Jaina Proudmoore _

She paused to look up and around. Seeing no one was bothering to even glance in her direction, she waved a hand to cool the ink so she could fold it faster, putting it in an envelope. She didn't have sealing wax on her so she simply used a minor cantrip to make sure it stayed closed until it was in Tyrande's hands. Now hopefully the priestess would read it and didn't simply throw it away. It would be understandable if she did, Jaina knew the vibrant pain that came from losing a home and the weight of death that hung over her shoulder. The only thing that eased Jaina's worries was the fact that she was fairly certain Tyrande wouldn't attempt a genocide like she had. 

Her fingers curled tight around the edge of the crate she was using as a make shift table. She still had nightmares about the horror that came to Theramore and the response she had jumped to. What she had done, even if it had been stopped before she went too far, was the reason why she couldn't reach out to Thrall anymore. Shame and guilt crawled through the darkness in her thoughts, reminding her of what could have been. 

She had already sent a note to her aides in what remained of Theramore, telling them to give Tyrande whatever support she needed. It would be up to the discretion of her aide to decide if what was asked for would be more than Theramore could give, but surely the moon priestess wouldn't be unreasonable. 

When she was younger she might have been saddened by the fact that she didn't have anyone else to turn to. Now, it was likely for the best. Little by little life had shown her that she had to stand alone. 

"Fen'di!"

Jaina jolted at the term and turned around sharply to see that Zul was making his way over to her. 

"It means--" he prophet started to speak with a grin. 

"It means 'little girl'." Jaina interrupted, resting a hand on her hip. 

"Oh, you have learned some things." Zul nodded and waved to a pair of dock workers that were giving him a wide berth. "I think your King has a lot of work ahead of him if he wants Zandalar's help."

"There's a lot of history. Pandaria for example." Jaina stared at the troll as he came closer. 

"Ah, you know that too then." He rubbed his chin and clucked his tongue. "You know how it is. I guide my King where I think is best for our people. At the time, that meant making deals.." 

He waved a hand, making a soft sound and uttering a word in Zandali that she didn't quite catch but she assumed was the equivalent of 'forget it'. Taking a breath, she tapped the shoulder of a worker passing by and handed him the note and a bit of silver, asking him to take it to the messengers. Once they ran off, she crooked a finger at Zul and motioned him to follow her down the docks towards a ship that had 'Seas Hope' painted on its hull. She was a bit surprised that he offered no stinging commentary before following her. 

"You don't expect Kul Tiras to take kindly to word from your King." Zul said flatly and climbed up on a crate, his long legs dangling off it as he got comfortable. 

"The Kul Tirans separated from the Alliance when Anduin was very young. It's good because to them, it's a fresh start with a King who might give them what they need. And it's bad because Kul Tirans hold onto grudges like a hunting dog grips a bone." She gingerly hopped up on a crate as well to imitate Zul. 

The prophet stared at her, the soft furrow in her brow pulling at his thoughts. Something in her expression reminded him of something but he couldn't remember what. He wasn't sure if he ever saw a troll woman looking so soft and vulnerable in public. Was it a vision that he had or perhaps a dream? He barely had time to consider before she was turning to look at him through long lashes, the stark white of her hair framing one side of her face and making the dark circles under her eyes more pronounced. 

"Do I know you, fen'di?" Zul questioned her, itching to find a spot where he could commune and search for answers that weren’t just darkness and the smell of sea salt. 

The faint smile she had made him wish he was ten years younger. She might be human, but she was pretty enough for a passing fancy. And he could practically taste the power that she had at her disposal. Running his tongue along the bottom of one tusk, he studied the mage as she shrugged a shoulder absently. 

"I don't think so. We might have met in passing before." Jaina's brow furrowed as she tried to think if she had actually met Zul or if she had just heard about what he did when the fighting happened in Pandaria. She was fairly certain she was still trying to patch together her home at that point. 

"No matter. Got plenty of time to get to know each other." Zul let a smirk creep along his face and leaned over to her. 

"More time if you could convince your people that a pact of neutrality with the Alliance could be beneficial." Jaina smiled and allowed herself a soft laugh. 

He might be older than her by she wasn't sure how many years, but they both knew how to play politics and poetic pursuit. There was a brief moment when he straightened up, his ears perking like he hadn’t expected her to respond like that. This time when he smiled it wasn’t the leering way like before, it was almost a boyish grin and he leaned closer to her, a newly ignited spark in his eyes. She could practically taste the flicker of flames in his aura and her heart gripped tightly as she thought of another who was older than her, who held flames in his hands as easily as he held goblets.

“Why fire?” she asked impulsively, gently smoothing out the length of her dress as she relaxed.

“Instead of a healing shaman, a priest of some sort, or a druid?” He drawled as though he had heard this many times over.

“Instead of ice. Instead of pure arcane bolts.” Jaina shook her head a bit. “I’ve always had an affinity for cold, I was always told that was the route I should choose so I didn’t really question it. I can handle other elements of magic perfectly well but frost is something I’m known for now.”

He nodded in understanding and for a few moments he didn’t speak up, making her wonder if he was just going to leave her hanging in wonder. When he did speak, he clucked his tongue and waved a hand absently in front of him, creating a small flame that darted between his fingers and around his wrist before disappearing.

“At first, it was a challenge. The jungle is hot but it’s wet with humidity a lot too. And there’s plenty of running water all through our land. So, young Zul, he learns to create flames with all the presence of water around. Skinny little Zul gotta learn on the run too, cause when you can control flame in the middle of a jungle, no one likes that. I learned control, really, before I learned fire. I learned to be clever before I learned strategy. Dunno if these words are coming out right in your language, it’s all…” 

He muttered another word that she was certain shouldn’t be repeated in public and then looked at her. His eyes flicked from her face, down to her hands and he reached for them. When she started to take off the thick gauntlet on her right hand, he lightly swatted her and shook his head a bit.

“Bah, don’t be taking off bits of armor for me. This is fine.” Zul muttered and adjusted her hand in an unfamiliar way. He stared at her fingers like they were troublesome and then peeked at her. “How you cast spells with so many fingers fen’di? Don’tcha get things all mixed up with so many there?” 

“I guess I just adapted.” she answered his teasing question with an easy smile and found herself leaning into his presence. “Are you trying to show me how you cast fire..?”

“Mmm, sort of. Wanted to use hands on to explain this better. It’s a spell that calls up flames in a pillar normally but you keep it contained between two fingers. For me it would grow between the two here and then use breathing to force it along the fingers and direct it.”

“Right, like an arrow from a bow?” 

“Right, but then as it’s being directed, not to let it go all in one but to continue it--”

“So instead of a pillar in a location away from you it’s right from your hand?” Her eyes widened and she stared at him as he began to grin.

“Guessin’ you’ve never done it like that?” He sounded so smug and sure of himself that she wanted to send little jolts of frost along his hands to his elbows but she knew he’d be able to dispell it just as fast as she could summon.

“It’s not supposed to be done like that, you could end up blowing your hand right off.” She settled for almost yelling at him instead and scowled when he simply laughed at her.

“Aww, you gonna worry about old Zul, fen’di?”

“Worried about--” She had to cut off her words before an insult spilled out and straightened her shoulders back. “Okay, so how do you do it then? Or -why- would you do something like that?”

“Because no other troll’s done it like that either.” He whispered to her like a conspirator and grinned like a mad man when he saw the faint jump of excitement in her eyes. She might jump to safety in her initial thoughts, but he could recognize that burning need in her that was in him years ago. Taking her hands again, he traced a finger along the exterior of her palm and clucked his tongue. “This gauntlet you have though. Enchant it so it soaks up the heat, maybe you could do it too. Just have to learn where to put your fingers. How you wanna curl them or stretch them out..”

It was innocuous but the way he purred the words had her cheeks heating up and she cleared her throat, though she didn’t pull her hands away from him. “I think that I’ll stick with frost for now. I have my own little tricks that I can do.”

“Yeah..?” that boyish grin was back, the manicness of a troll who defied the world banished under a desire to learn. “Whatchu do?”

“Well…” She drew the word out as she looked down at her lap and then up at him through her lashes, her smile only growing when she saw he was leaning in. Shifting her hands with his, she slid her fingers along his and started to explain. “So, when I was younger, one of the tricks that I was shown was for stopping pirate boats before they could get close enough to shore or close enough to one of our own boats. To freeze a section of water at the top but leave what’s underneath free to move. And often what would happen is one mage would freeze the boat while another one was moving the water underneath and it created an undertow or a whirlpool, and the boat is quickly taken care of.”

“That’s a little vicious. You adapt that, fen’di?” He murmured as his thumb shifted over hers to rub down to the meat of her palm and up again.

“I decided to take the idea and alter it a little bit.” Her fingers drew little circles in the center of his palm and she cleared her throat before she explained. “Being on land doesn’t give much opportunity to move a threat unless you have a druid or a shaman available to help you. However.. I’ve always been handy with portal spells as well.” 

She saw the moment the clarity dawned on him and felt relieved when he only smiled at her. “Freeze them then force a teleport on them? Dangerous for you both. If they resist too much it can pull at their bodies. If they know something about magic, they can turn it on you and you can end up hurt.” He raised a brow as she nodded in understanding. “And you do both of these spells at the same time.”

“It’s not something I do often, it’s honestly not something I -have- to do because there are other options available. But I had the thought so I just… wanted to know if I could make it happen.”

“Oh fen’di.. You and I gonna get along like sand on fire.”

It wasn’t an expression she was familiar with but the way he spoke the words made her heart jump and she glanced down at their hands, seeing that he was catching their fingers in a tangle now. How had she started off feeling like she needed to be at a distance from him and ended up like this? Was she just grasping towards him because she wanted to have her hands held again?

“Lemme tell you about sand on fire, fen’di?” his voice dropped low and she found herself nodding happily, pulled into how open he was when she expected him to close himself off from her and everyone else.

“Zul?” 

The two pulled apart at the sound of Princess Talanji’s voice. The prophet let himself move back smoothly and he lounged with a cocksure smile on his face. Jaina felt her cheeks warming, clutching her fingers like she’d just been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. The pale haired prophet reached into his robes and took out a glass pipe that had swirls of colors going up the handle. The princess looked unamused with the casual way he was acting and moved up beside Jaina. The mage expected her to start in on how she should be careful around the older troll, but all Talanji did was glance between the two of them and shake her head minutely. Maybe that was all that needed to be done as a warning. Still, as she got up from the crate, Jaina felt her gaze being drawn back to Zul again, her heart speeding up when he winked at her like he was holding all the secrets of the world behind his eyes.

“The Sea’s Hope. An optimistic way to send us off.” Talanji murmured quietly, making her way towards the gangplank.

“True, but I don’t think anyone would want to set foot on a boat named ‘Sunken Dreams’ or some such thing.” Jaina followed her with a small shrug. “All boats have to have good names, sailors are too superstitious.”

“Human sailors maybe. Us trolls, we just see something like that as a challenge. An easy name means that the sailing might be too easy by far. And then how are you going to push yourself to be better?” Talanji gave her a grin and started to walk along the ship’s deck to familiarize herself with it.

Jaina knew these boats like the back of her hand, they were all either crafted in Theramore for the Alliance or the ships were based off the Theramore fleet. She knew how many steps between each canon; what trees were cut to make the best lumber; and where the captains put the more dangerous items when they had to transport cargo. Nodding to the crew members, she turned when she saw them tensing first at the sight of their troll passengers and then the quiet gasps as the King set foot on board.

“My good men, I’ll make this brief. The Princess Talanji and her escort, Zul need to be safely returned to their home. They are to be treated with the utmost respect and care. When you speak to them, you are to hold yourself as though you are in my own company. Their safety is your primary concern.” Anduin barely had to raise his voice as he spoke to the crew, all eyes turning to him. 

It was testament to his natural charm that no one batted an eye when he said this. Jaina suspected it was because Anduin was always beloved by his people from the common folk up to the nobility. He saw the struggles of others and held them in compassion, seeking ways to ease whatever burdens he could. 

It would get him killed someday. 

Pulling her thoughts away from the dark roads they wandered down, she lifted a hand to rub at her temple with a faint frown. From the corner of her eye she could see that Zul was watching her and she offered him a small smile before moving towards the cabins. Things had all been thrown together so quickly that she had no idea if everyone would have what they needed for this trip to be comfortable. 

“Once the Princess and her escort and safely home.. You will be continuing on to Kul Tiras for the Lady Jaina.” Anduin continued, a faint furrow in his brow as he looked around.

Jaina didn’t have to look around to know that some of the crew was looking at her now. Keeping her gaze ahead, she walked down the steps to the under section of the ship where the cabins were. No one would dare say anything to the face of the King or to her, but she knew that there were going to be doubts about bringing her home again.

Zul watched the young mage disappearing below decks, using the tip of a finger and an errant thought to light his pipe. Slipping into a comfortable crouch, he puffed on it as he listened to the boy King giving his speech to the cautious crew members. Of course no one wanted to transport a couple of strangers that were potential enemies, but he found it interesting how no one spoke up. The atmosphere of the ship didn’t even seem to shift even slightly until the Lady Jaina was brought up. Or maybe it was the mention of Kul Tiras that brought it on, the two were spoken so close together that he couldn’t untangle one emotion from the next in this group. Even if he wasn’t smoking, he would be holding his breath as he looked around the crew. His senses stretched towards Talanji to ensure that she was keeping her guard up as well. Despite the fact that she was relaxing comfortably by the railing, he could feel the iron of her will creating a barrier around her emotions and thoughts.

That was one less thing he’d had to worry about, thankfully. Letting out a slow puff, he smirked to one of the crew members that were nearby and created a small circle of smoke that drifted towards them. The poor human didn’t look like they knew what to do at first until the scent hit them and he raised a brow. When the King started back down the gangplank, the crew all split up hurriedly to get to their stations, the anchor being pulled up and the ropes cast off from the pier and quickly tied to their places. There was an aching sort of familiarity when he watched someone scramble up the rigging and another person passed by him and the Princess to get to their station. Talanji stood by him, regal and silent, as though everything that was going on was beneath her. Perhaps it was but he hoped that she would never come to actually look at things in the world like that. Her father already held the title of God King and was practically immortal because of the blessings on him. If Talanji followed her father’s lead--

But no, he didn’t need to worry about that. Talanji was blessed as well but she had clarity in her thoughts and was humble enough to ask for help when she needed it. When he spoke his dark prophecies, she was quiet and listened even if her father dismissed him. He didn’t have proof, but he did have a gut feeling that when he spoke, she listened and she acted in her own quiet way to try to help.

“You’re staring.” Talanji murmured.

“You’re beautiful.” Zul shrugged, the excuse falling from his tongue as easily as his visions did.

Rolling her eyes, Talanji nodded her head to one of the sailors that slipped by her. The glide away from the harbor was smooth and she could see that there were hardly any clouds in the sky. The wind was gently pushing them out, the sails billowing faintly forward and taking them away from the alien scents of the human city. It wasn’t that the city smelled terrible, but she was glad to be away from it before the scent of it could sink into her clothes any more than it already had when they were detained in the jail cell.

“You want to explore the boat?” Zul glanced over to his princess and casually offered his pipe to her.

She declined the pipe, her eyes on the seas around them, looking up to the clouds with a tiny smile. The way towards the human harbor had been troublesome, but now there wasn’t any signs on the horizon of problems that might come. If he was the type to look towards the physical for omens then he would consider it a good sign of what was to come. But his strength had always laid in the visions that came to him rather than tossing bones or reading tea leaves. And his visions were always dark. 

For not the first time in his long life, he hoped that he wouldn’t have any visions on his travels. A good part of him knew that the world was a harsh place and that bad things happened all the time. But a tiny part of him still grasped at the hope that things could be better. It was often drowned out by visions or by the yelling of those around him who reminded him that if not for the gruesome things he saw, he would be worse than the casteless. Rolling his shoulders, he took another puff and watched a sailor passing by that was bringing a large sack of potatoes over their shoulder to the galley.

“Beware, beware, the daughter of the sea--” one of the crewmen was singing in a low voice.

One of the men close to him gave him a sharp elbow in the ribs and a stern look so Zul didn’t hear the rest of the song that he was singing. An oddity, he thought at first that the humans didn’t like singing on deck until someone else picked up with a different tune that was a quicker tempo.

There were differences in their culture that he could see just from glancing around the boat. None of them wore sprigs of sea stalk for one, and he couldn’t think of any expedition that left Zandalari without at least some of the crew pining the flowers stalk to their clothes somewhere. Even he and Talanji wore one so that those back home would be sure that they were alright. They were weathered from the trip, but still alive, and that was probably the only reason why the navy wasn’t bearing down the path that they took to get them back. Talanji refused to let hers die even in the cell, nourishing it from the water she was given while Zul only bothered with his once every few days.

If Talanji didn’t make it back, the might of the Zandalari would come crashing down on the humans and she knew that. 

On the other hand, if something were to happen to Zul, he would be replaced and no one would bother to search for his remains.

His pipe lightly tapped against his tusk when it shifted in his mouth and he took a deep puff on it. He wished he had something to distract him like Jaina or maybe one of those sturdy sailors that were walking around, but it seemed like the mage wanted her space and the crew was all busy. His eyes closed and he let his fingers rub along the bottom of the pipe, the glass smooth save for where the color had been added to it in a flare. The rocking of the ship made him a touch anxious, but when the minutes passed and nothing happened, he allowed himself to take a few more puffs. There continued to be songs that the sailors sang, some about sirens and some about fishing and farming, but he didn’t hear the one that had been started earlier even as a hum.

“Far over the seas, we pass the fare.” He started softly when there was a lull in the human’s singing. “The clouds do part, and Loa show us where… We shall now go to the great beyond.”

“Travel far and fair my dear.” Talanji added in her higher tones, just as soft and casual, not minding that there were some looking at them. “But always come home. Do not seek the depths, of the old ones throne. Treasures beyond the pale, you can always seek. But don’t you know, the things in shadows creep?”

“We must away, to find it there. The garden of the Loa, beloved in our prayers. We will bring them home to you, flowers to bring health anew. We will save you though it costs breath and bone. Take this flower bud, be aware it may not be grown.”

“If you’re going to out do us on sea ballads, you should teach us the words.” One of the sailors grinned, swaying from side to side like she was waiting for her chance to join them.

“It’s a back and forth. I can start teaching you the refrains.” Talanji’s own smile was full of pride and she extended her hand.

There were a few in the crew that still looked at them hesitantly, like singing with the Zandalari might bring down a curse on them. But the one who spoke up first hurried to the princess’ side to learn what she could, bringing her netting with her so she could mend it as they passed the time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> But hey, you ask me, how did Zul still have his smoking pipe on him if he was in jail?
> 
> Are you kidding me? You've played the game, you know that the guards in Stormwind's jail are shit and can't do their job right.


End file.
